This past week I spoke with a founder about his company. When I asked him about his why, he said he wants flexibility for himself and his family. He’s excited about what he’s doing with his company, but he’s passionate about changing his family’s circumstances. He wants to be able to make decisions without factoring in money and have control over his time so he can spend more of it with his family.

He isn’t the only founder I’ve heard this from. I spoke with another founder who raised nine figures in venture capital. He’s passionate about the problem his company is solving and equally passionate about the financial freedom it’s afforded him. He now wants to invest in early founders who are motivated to build companies because they too desire freedom.

It’s interesting to hear about founders’ motivations. The desire for a better lifestyle for yourself or your family can be strong and lead you to build a large company. I think the trick is identifying the right problem to solve. There are lots of possibilities and picking one you’ll stick with through the ups and downs is important.

Whatever your motivation, make sure you’re clear about it going into your entrepreneurial journey. If you don’t know why you’re doing something, it can be difficult to do it to the best of your ability.